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It’s just a few weeks after his 8th birthday when Jack Bradshaw-Seresin starts to suspect that his dads are lying to him.
At first, he doesn’t think anything of it, when one evening, he stays up after his bedtime and catches his papa trying to sneak into his bedroom. He’s reading a book, hidden under the covers when he hears the door open with a squeak. He frowns to himself and places a bookmark between the pages before peeking out from under the duvet.
“Papa?” Jack asks, looking at the man with confusion in his blue eyes.
The man freezes in the doorway, looking like a deer in headlights. Jack learned this phrase last week from his grandpa Ice when they both caught Jill and grandpa Mav stealing cookies from the cookie jar right before they were supposed to eat dinner. Jack was a bit confused because neither grandpa Mav nor his little sister looked like deer. Jack saw photos of deer in one of his books, and they all walked on four legs and had brown fur and antlers. He asked about it later, and grandpa Ice explained that it meant being so frightened or surprised that you couldn’t move or think. And that’s what papa looked like right now.
“Jack? What are you still doing up, buddy?” papa whispers, looking over his shoulder, and steps inside, closing the door behind him. “You know we have to get up early tomorrow.” The man comes closer and kneels next to Jack’s bed.
Jack hesitates but eventually sighs and pulls out his book and flashlight from under the covers. “Dr. Thorn just escaped with Annabeth, and I wanted to know if she’s okay,” he whines, giving papa a pleading look.
Papa lets out a deep sigh and puts his large hand on Jack’s head, gently stroking his hair. “Jack, we talked about this,” he says, giving the boy a stern look. “No reading past your bedtime when you have school in the morning.”
“But-”
“Hey, none of that,” papa warns him, taking the book out of his hands.
Jake cries out dramatically and drops down on his pillow, making his best puppy eyes. Everyone always tells him that he’s dramatic like his daddy, but he got the puppy eyes from papa. Right now, he hopes it will be enough to get him just a couple more minutes of reading.
“Okay, fine.” Papa’s mustache twitches like it usually does when he’s trying not to smile. “Move over, we’re going to read one more chapter, and then I’m confiscating the book, and you’re going to sleep. Deal?”
Jack shoots up from the mattress and nods vigorously, already making space for papa to sit. Once the man is leaning against the headboard and the bedside lamp is turned on, Jack tucks himself into his side and opens the book. “Read to me?” he asks, looking up at papa.
The man smiles and kisses the top of Jack’s head. “Of course, sweetheart.”
Jack beams at him and rests his cheek on papa’s chest, letting him wrap his arm around him. The man clears his throat, making Jack giggle, and proceeds to read the story.
It doesn’t take too long for Jack’s eyelids to start dropping, and it’s even shorter before papa notices. “Okay, time to sleep,” the man hums, setting the book on the bedside table.
Jack yawns and buries his face in papa’s t-shirt, unwilling to let go just yet. Eventually, he lets the man place him gently on the mattress and cover him with the duvet. The lamp gets turned off, but his chicken-shaped nightlight stays on.
“Goodnight, buddy.” Is the last thing he hears before falling asleep.
Jack doesn’t know how long he’s been sleeping when suddenly he’s startled awake. He blinks a couple of times and lifts his head from his pillow.
“Daddy?” he asks in a quiet voice, recognizing his other dad’s blonde hair even in the low light.
“Shhhh.” Jack feels a kiss that daddy places on his forehead as he lies back down. “Go back to sleep.”
Jack mumbles something and wraps the cover tighter around himself before doing just that. He doesn’t hear the hushed voices that argue right outside his bedroom door.
The following day, Jack is woken up by his little sister, who barges into his room without knocking and crawls onto the bed. He can hear her giggle before she flops down on top of him. Jack groans groggily and turns on his back to wrap his arms around her.
For a moment, he thinks he might be able to fall asleep for a few more minutes, but then Jill starts wiggling in his arms. He loosens his hold just as she squeals, “Daddy!”
Jack opens one of his eyes and turns his head toward the door, where he sees daddy. The man is leaning on the doorframe, watching the two of them with a soft smile. The smile only gets bigger when he notices Jack looking at him.
“It’s time to get up,” he announces, making Jack groan again.
“Can I have five more minutes?” Jack whines, turning onto his front, and buries his face in the pillow. His dad only laughs and sits down on the edge of the mattress, gently rubbing Jack’s back.
“You gotta get ready for school, bud.”
“I know,” he grumbles but doesn’t move.
Jack yelps and starts laughing when he suddenly feels two strong hangs lift him up from the mattress. He screams joyously when suddenly he’s hanging upside down, being held by his waist.
“Let me go!” he squeals, writhing in daddy’s hold.
“I don’t know, should I?” the man teases, swinging Jack from left to right. “Promise you won’t go back to sleep?”
Jack pretends to think about it for a moment, but he starts laughing again when his daddy swings him harder. “I promise, I promise!” he squeals.
Still giggling, Jack lands on the bed and slides onto the floor. He takes a few steps toward the door, ready to go to the kitchen and help papa make breakfast, when he remembers something important. He had lost one of his teeth the previous evening, and his dads promised that the Tooth Fairy would come and visit him like she had done a couple of times before.
Jack gasps and runs back to his bed. He throws the pillow to the side and screams, “Daddy, look!” He jumps up and down, holding up a five-dollar bill.
“Wow, that’s awesome! The Tooth Fairy must have been very happy with how well you take care of your teeth.” Jack’s daddy nods with a smile and holds out his hand. “Come on. I think that papa is making pancakes today.”
Jack grabs his hand, and they walk downstairs together. They walk into the kitchen, and Jack runs up to papa to show him what he found under his pillow.
“Papa, look!”
The man puts down the ladle and squats in front of Jack. “Wow, that’s a lot of money, bud. I guess we’ll have to stop by the store on our way back from school.”
Jack nods vigorously and throws his arms around papa’s neck. The man stands up with a groan, with Jack hanging from his neck, making the boy squeal with joy.
“Okay, time for breakfast.” papa says and gives Jack a quick kiss on the cheek before putting him down.
The boy grins at him and climbs onto one of the chairs. Before he can even get comfortable, a stack of pancakes is standing in front of him. He quickly grabs a fork and starts cutting one of the pancakes into smaller pieces. He eats a couple of bites when something suddenly dawns on him.
“Daddy?” he asks, stopping the fork midway to his mouth.
“Yeah?” The man looks at him over the brim of his mug. Jack knows he’s drinking his morning coffee; he even let Jack try it once, but it tasted horrible, and the boy swore never to drink it again.
“Did you see the Tooth Fairy last night?”
Jack watches daddy take a sip and choke on it when he asks the question. “What?” he croaks out when he finally stops coughing.
“You were in my room last night, weren’t you?” Jack asks between bites. “Did you see the Tooth Fairy?”
Daddy blushes and takes another sip, giving papa a panicked glance. Jack watches them stare at each other like they’re having a silent conversation. Over the years, he has seen them do that often. It was kind of awesome that they could communicate like that without words. It was certainly better than them kissing, and they did that very often too.
Jack shudders at the thought and slowly chews his pancakes, still looking at daddy expectantly as he waits for an answer.
“Sorry, buddy,” daddy mumbles, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I must have missed her.” He gives Jack an apologetic look.
Jack pouts a little but nods. He opens his mouth to ask another question, but papa interrupts him before he can even get a word out.
“Finish your breakfast and go get ready. We don’t want to be late for school.”
Jack shoves the rest of the pancakes into his mouth and jumps off the chair before he even finishes chewing it. He quickly gets ready for school, brushing his teeth and putting on the clothes he picked up the previous evening. He makes sure to tuck the five-dollar bill safely in his wallet and puts the backpack on before running back downstairs.
Papa is already waiting for him at the front door, holding the keys to the car, and Jack grabs his hands, turning back to wave at his daddy and little sister. The Tooth Fairy debacle is forgotten before they even leave the driveway.
Jack doesn’t think about the Tooth Fairy for the next couple of weeks until he sits at the dinner table one evening. He’s making funny faces at his little sister, sticking his tongue out or stretching the corners of his lips to make her giggle. He really likes making her laugh because, for the longest time, he was the only one that could do that. It took Jill a couple of weeks to warm up to everybody, even though she knew them for a long time before she came to live with them, but she loved Jack immediately, and he’s really proud of that.
Now, Jack is sitting across from her, joking around. At one point, he pushes his tongue against his teeth and jumps up in surprise when the resistance is suddenly gone. He yelps quietly, tasting blood in his mouth, and slides down from the chair before running to the bathroom. He closes the door and drags the wooden stool to the sink. He quickly climbs on it and leans closer to the mirror, opening his mouth wide.
Upon closer inspection, he realizes he accidentally pushed one of his teeth. It hurts a little when he takes it out, but the pain is gone before he can even focus on it.
A knock on the door startles Jack, and he nearly drops the tooth into the drain but manages to catch it in time. “Is everything okay?” Jack can hear the concern in daddy’s voice, but the man stays on the other side of the door. His dads never walk into the bathroom when he’s inside unless he tells them it’s okay.
“Yeah!” Jack yells back and turns on the water to rinse out his mouth.
Jack wraps his tooth in a tissue and puts it in his pocket. He wants to tell daddy that he lost another one as soon as he opens the door. Before he can do it, he’s informed they’re about to have dessert and, whoops loudly, already running back to the dining room. He forgets about the tooth until later that evening when he’s getting ready for bed, and the tissue slips out from his pocket.
Jack grins at the sight and quickly puts the tooth under his pillow. He changes into his pajamas and slips under the covers, turning off the lamp on his bedside table. He can’t wait to wake up and see what the Tooth Fairy brought him this time.
The next day, both of Jack’s dads oversleep, and the morning is really. Hectic. They’re all trying to get ready on time, and Jack completely forgets to check what’s waiting for him under his pillow. He briefly remembers the missing tooth when he’s at school, but it slips his attention again before he gets back home.
Jack returns from school, does his homework and spends his evening playing with his little sister. It leaves him so exhausted that papa has to help him brush his teeth and change into pajamas. The man then scoops Jack into his arms and carries him to bed, where Jack falls asleep before his head hits the pillow.
When the next morning rolls around, Jack finally remembers losing another tooth. He sits in his bed, nearly shaking with excitement, and lifts his pillow only to have his heart drop in his chest.
He blinks several times, looking at the molar still lying right where Jack had left it two nights ago. He frowns and picks it up to examine it closer, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Jack huffs quietly and puts the tooth back down before covering it with the pillow. Maybe the Tooth Fairy was busy for the past few nights and didn’t have time to visit him yet. He decides it’s best to give her a little more time and jumps out of bed to go downstairs, where papa is already making breakfast.
Jack walks into the kitchen with a cheery, “Good morning!”
He pushes his helper tower closer to the counter and climbs up the steps to stand on a small platform. He grins widely when papa leans down to kiss the top of his head.
“Do you want to help me?” Jack nods and reaches to take the whisk out of his dad’s hands.
“What are we making?” The boy asks curiously, frowning as he focuses on whipping the eggs.
“An omelet,” papa responds and grabs a cutting board. They chat easily for a few minutes, and soon enough, they’re joined by the other two family members. Everyone eats their breakfast and goes to get ready for the day.
Jack is dropped off at school before his first class starts, so he changes his shoes and sits on the bench in front of the classroom. He pulls out a book from his backpack and starts reading, but before he can finish the chapter, someone sits down next to him.
Jack looks up and grins when he realizes it’s his best friend.
“Hi, Allie,” he says and quickly puts the book away, focusing his attention on her.
“Hi,” she responds as she fixes her hair. Jack likes her hair. It’s this beautiful red color that Jack’s dads call ginger, and today it’s put into a thick braid that wraps around her head.
Jack remembers the first day he met Allie. She had her hair put into two pigtails, and Jack couldn’t help himself. He gently tugged on one of them and got punched in retaliation. He was stunned and told his dads about what happened when he came back home from school. They explained that what he did was rude, so Jack brought Allie an apology card the next day, and they’d been best friends ever since.
Now they sit in front of the classroom, waiting for the rest of their classmates and the teacher to show up. They talk about what they both did the previous evening, and Jack listens intently as Allie recounts her trip to the zoo. It was her little brother’s birthday, so their parents took them to the zoo and to get some ice cream. Jack makes a mental note to mention to his dads that he’d like to do that too.
Suddenly, Jack remembers what happened in the morning and frowns. Before changing the topic, he waits for Allie to finish telling him a story about the penguins she saw.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jack asks, twiddling his thumbs in a gesture of uncertainty.
“You just did.” Allie beams at him, pleased with the joke, but the cheery expression on her face melts into a concern when Jack doesn’t laugh. “Yeah, always,” she says as she sits criss-cross on the bench, turning to be able to face Jack.
Jack mirrors her pose and puts his thumb between his lips, biting it lightly as he tries to figure out how to breach the topic. “Did the Tooth Fairy ever visit you?” he asks finally.
“Yeah.” Allie nods, frowning as she tries to make sense of what’s happening. “She visited me last week. See?” The girl opens her mouth, showing off the missing tooth. “She brought me a dollar and a new pink toothbrush.”
Jack shifts in his seat. “I lost another tooth on Wednesday, and I put it under a pillow,” he whispers as he leans in, glancing around to see if anyone can hear them. “I forgot to check yesterday because we overslept, but I did today, and it’s still there. Do you think the Tooth Fairy forgot about me?” he asks worriedly.
Allie’s green eyes widen as she stares at Jake with a horrified look on her face. “Did you tell your dads?” she gasps, clutching Jack’s hand between hers.
Jack shakes his head and bites his lower lip. “I didn’t realize until today,” he admits, squeezing her fingers, “and I figured I should wait. Maybe she’s just busy?” The look on Allie’s face tells him she doesn’t find this theory very convincing.
“You think I should tell them,” Jack mutters nervously, bouncing his knee up and down. Allie nods vigorously and opens her mouth to say something more, but at this moment, the door to the classroom opens, and they are being called inside.
They grab their backpacks and walk into the classroom, where they take their respective seats. They exchange one more worried look before the teacher claps to get everyone’s attention and starts the lesson.
Jack tries his best to focus on his classes, but it’s way more challenging than he anticipated. He keeps spacing out, letting his thoughts wander, and misses half of the important information. Thankfully he has Allie, who sits down with him during recess and makes sure to catch him up on everything he missed.
When papa picks him up in the afternoon, he notices that Jack is unusually quiet. He tries to figure out what’s wrong, but Jack mutters something under his breath and shrugs, not even looking at him. They don’t talk on the way home, letting the music on the radio fill the silence between them.
Once the car rolls into the driveway and the engine is off, Jack unbuckles his seatbelt and jumps out. He grabs his backpack and nearly runs inside, not waiting for papa to follow. He ignores daddy, who’s saying hello, and instead runs up the stairs. When he reaches his room, he picks up the pillow with one swift move. Immediately, a wave of disappointment washes over him as he sees the tooth exactly where he left it.
Jack sighs deeply and picks it up between his fingers. He thinks back to his conversation with Allie and decides she’s probably right. He hides the molar in his small fist and walks back downstairs, where he hears his dads talking in the kitchen in hushed voices. He directs his steps there and looks at them hesitantly, standing next to the kitchen island.
“Daddy?” he says, shifting on his feet.
“Hi, buddy.” The man turns to look at Jack and gives him a smile. “Are you okay?” he asks, stepping closer to his son.
Jack nods and holds out his closed fist. “I lost another tooth,” he announces, opening his hand to show them the molar.
“Is that why you were upset on the way home?” papa asks with a hint of relief flashing across his face.
Jack hesitates for a moment but nods again. “Yeah.” He doesn’t know why he says that but figures out it’s too late to turn back now and explain the situation. “I, uh-” he hesitates for a moment. “I thought I lost it, but I found it in my backpack when I went upstairs,” he says finally.
“Remember to put it under your pillow so the Tooth Fairy can come and give you a gift tonight,” daddy says, and Jack watches as he turns to wink at papa. It makes him frown, and he wonders if it means something but decides not to say anything.
Jack nods solemnly and climbs up his helper tower to grab a paper towel. He carefully wraps the tooth in it and puts it in the zip-up pocket of his trousers. “Papa?” he asks, holding his arms out for the man to pick him up.
“Yeah?” Papa does it without hesitation and places Jack on his hip, already moving toward the living room.
“Do you think the Tooth Fairy will bring me something nice?”
“What do you mean?” Papa frowns, stopping at the bottom of the stairs with one of his feet on the first step.
Jack shrugs and wraps his arms around papa’s neck. “Allie told me she got a new toothbrush last time,” he explains, letting the man carry him upstairs.
“I guess we’ll see tomorrow.” Papa winks at Jack and puts him down on the floor. “We need to get ready because your grandpas wanted us to come for dinner.”
Jack shrieks loudly and runs to his room to change out of his school clothes. He emerges from the bedroom a couple of minutes later, dressed in his favorite jeans and a t-shirt he got from grandpa Mav for his birthday. The t-shirt is light blue, and the text on the front spells “Ice knows best.” Jack loves it, despite the fact it made both of his dads and grandpa Ice roll their eyes when they first saw it.
He sits on the floor near the front door and starts putting on his shoes. He’s so focused on the task that he doesn’t notice when daddy joins him downstairs. He only realizes he’s not alone when he’s startled back to reality. “Are you ready to go?” daddy asks, looking at Jack with a smile. He’s holding Jill in his arms, but he puts her down on the floor when she starts wiggling in his arms, trying to get to Jack.
Jack nods and scrambles up from the floor just in time for Jill to slam into him. The boy grins at her and bends down, putting his hands under her arms to pick her up. She giggles and immediately wraps her arms and legs around him. Jack kisses her cheek, careful not to drop her or lose his balance. Unfortunately, he has to let her go soon after because papa joins the three of them and announces they must hurry up. Jack lets out a huff and helps Jill get back on the floor but lets her grab his hand, and they walk to the car together.
The entire evening is a blur, ending quicker than Jack would want it to. Before he even realizes it, he’s half asleep and being carried back to the car. Grandpa Ice gently puts him in the backseat and buckles his seatbelt, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
Jack yawns and mumbles, “goodnight,” before falling asleep. He wakes up briefly when the car pulls to a stop and looks around, blinking tiredly. It takes him a moment to realize that they parked in front of a store and that papa is not in the car with them. Jack rubs his eyes with his fists, letting out a soft sigh.
“Daddy, I’m tired,” he whines, sniffing quietly. “I want to go home.”
“We’ll be home soon.” The man turns in his seat to look at Jack and gently squeezes his knee. Jack sniffs again and holds out his hands, silently asking for a hug.
“Oh, come here, cuddle bug.” It’s all Jack needs to unbuckle his seatbelt and crawl to the front, straight into daddy’s arms. He tries his best to do it silently because his little sister is asleep in her car seat, and he doesn’t want to wake her up.
“Did you have fun at your grandpas’ house?” Jack nods in response, burying his face in daddy’s t-shirt. “They want you and Jill to stay with them for a weekend. Would you like that?” He’s about to nod again when he hears a car door open and lifts his head, looking at papa curiously. He notices white and blue packaging, but it’s out of his sight before he fully registers what he’s seeing.
Prompted by his dads, Jack returns to the backseat and buckles his seatbelt. He drifts off again in a matter of minutes and wakes up again when someone gently shakes his shoulder. “Hey, you gotta change into your pajamas. Do you want help?”
Jack shakes his head and starts taking off his clothes. His moves are clumsy, and he somehow gets his head stuck in the collar. He lets out a frustrated cry and yanks on the fabric, trying to pull it off. Fortunately for him, the help comes quickly, and he’s freed from the t-shirt. He throws himself into daddy’s arms and clings to him, refusing to let go for the next few minutes.
“Oh, sweetheart.” The man kisses the side of Jack’s face. “Come on, let me help you get changed, and then you can go to sleep,” he says and sighs when Jack shakes his head. “What if I tell you a bedtime story, hm?” he offers, gently rocking the boy from side to side.
“Okay,” Jack agrees quietly and slowly lets go of his dad. He accepts the help with putting on his pajamas and lets the man tuck him in. “Wait!” Jack jumps up, looking around the bedroom. “My tooth! We need to put it under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy,” he says, scrambling to get out of bed and find the missing item. He successfully retrieves it from his trousers pocket and carefully puts it under the pillow before returning to bed.
Jack’s daddy brushes the boy’s hair away from his forehead and gives him a soft smile. “Are you ready now?” he asks, and his smile widens when Jack confirms it with an enthusiastic but slightly sleepy nod.
The man hums thoughtfully and begins telling the story, threading his fingers through Jack’s blond hair. Jack feels his eyelids get heavier and heavier, and soon they drop as his daddy’s voice lulls him to sleep.
The next morning, Jack turns to his side, still asleep. His eyes are still closed when he frowns at the sudden discomfort. He blinks a couple of times and pushes himself up on his elbows. It takes him a moment to realize that something under his pillow is really uncomfortable to lie on. The boy gasps and throws the pillow to the side, excited to see what’s hiding underneath.
Jack grabs the box in his two hands, and his eyes widen as he realizes what it is. His heart hammers in his chest as he inspects the label, moving his mouth as he deciphers the words. “Wow,” he whispers to himself and holds out his arms, still clutching the box to admire it from further away. Suddenly, it dawns on him that he has seen this box before. It takes him a moment to place it, and he blinks in surprise when he finally does.
He puts down the box, staring at it with a sour expression on his face. All the pieces start to fall into place, and he can feel something squeezing his heart as he tries not to cry. There are just too many coincidences for him not to realize what’s going on.
With a heavy heart and a trembling lower lip, Jack slips off the bed and grabs the box before heading downstairs. He finds his dads in the living room, watching the morning news. He stands on the edge of the carpet, clutching the box in his arms.
“Daddy?” he asks in a small voice, drawing both men’s attention.
“Hey, you’re up early,” daddy says, smiling at Jack, but the smile drops when he notices the look on his son’s face. “Is everything all right?” He holds out his arms for a hug, but Jack shakes his head and takes a step back.
“Is the Tooth Fairy not real?”
His dads exchange a panicked look before turning their heads to look at him again. “How did you-?” slips out of papa’s lips, confirming Jack’s worst fears.
Jack’s eyes widen as he stares at them, willing himself not to cry. He blinks rapidly, trying to chase the tears away, and presses his mouth into a thin line. He does his best to put on a brave face, but he starts sniffing quietly when he’s pulled into a hug by both of his dads.
“I’m sorry, honey,” papa says, resting his forehead on the top of Jack’s head. “We didn’t mean to make you upset.”
A soft sob escapes Jack’s lips as he clings to papa’s neck. The man wraps his arms tightly around Jack, rocking him gently. He murmurs calming words into the boy’s ear, but it doesn’t have any effect. Neither does the fact Jack’s daddy is rubbing his back, even though both of those things usually worked for him.
Eventually, the sobs subside, and Jack pulls away to look at his dads. He wipes the tears, but the new ones still roll down his flushed cheeks. “Why did you lie?” he asks, trying to give them the most accusatory look, but he’s not entirely sure if he succeeded.
“We’re really sorry, buddy,” daddy sighs, leaning in to press a kiss to Jack’s forehead. “We wanted to make it fun for you,” he admits, squeezing Jack’s arm. “I didn’t realize you would figure us out so quickly. You’re too smart for us, aren’t you?” The corners of the man’s lips curl upwards as he teases Jack.
Jack blushes and hides his face in papa’s neck, trying to fight a smile. “Yeah,” he mumbles shyly and glances at the box that fell on the floor at some point. “Papa bought that yesterday.” He points to the item, giving them both a look. “And last time I saw you in my room,” he adds, frowning at daddy, who shakes his head in disbelief.
“We should’ve known you’d bust us sooner or later.”
“Yeah!” Jack nods vigorously, temporarily distracted from the heartbreaking news.
The three of them cuddle on the couch for a few minutes until daddy suggests they should get started on breakfast. Both Jack and papa give him a look but obediently head to the kitchen as the man goes upstairs to wake up Jill. When they sit down to eat, Jack finds himself getting sad again. He spends most of the meal playing with the food rather than actually eating it.
“Hey, Jack?” papa asks, making the book look up from his plate. “Do you want to have a movie marathon?” he offers with a glint in his eyes.
Jack gaps and starts nodding frantically as he jumps up and down on his chair. “Can we watch Rise of the Guardians?”
Both of his dads laugh and nod their heads in agreement. Jack lets out a victory cry and wolfs down the rest of his breakfast. He jumps off the chair and carries the empty plate to the dishwasher before returning to the table and crawling on daddy’s lap to hug him. The man smirks and kisses the top of Jack’s head, wrapping one of his arms around the boy to keep him steady.
When the rest of the family finishes eating breakfast, they quickly clean up the table and return to the living room. Jack and Jill get there first, racing each other to the couch. Jack purposefully goes slow to let his little sister win and helps her crawl onto the seat. He joins her seconds later, and they both bounce excitedly, waiting for their dads to join them.
Papa sits with them first and wraps his large arm around them. Daddy follows his example soon after, turning on the tv and switching the outlet to DVD. The movie starts playing, and Jack watches it holding his breath and with his eyes wide open, despite the fact he has seen it many times before. When the Tooth Fairy appears, he feels his heart squeeze in his chest, and he presses himself closer to papa, who hugs him tighter and kisses the side of his face.
Jack smiles and decides it’s okay if the Tooth Fairy isn’t real. After all, he still has Santa and the Easter Bunny.